The last resort should be taking freedom away from parents. That’s what Australia is doing with social media: restricting not only children’s freedom but also parents’ freedom.
Published in USA Today.
Nothing matters more than protecting kids. Australia just used this powerful argument to ban social media for everyone under 16, becoming the first nation to do so.
The move from Down Under is being widely celebrated here in America, especially by parents, family advocates and politicians. I worry, however, that they’ve forgotten a piece of wisdom every kid knows: Two wrongs don’t make a right.
I say this as a parent of seven – yes, seven – children, ages 10 and under. My wife and I have zero intention of letting them use social media.
We’re equally committed to keeping cell phones out of their hands as long as we can, probably until they go off to college. We believe so much of what is on the internet steals someone’s childhood, introducing them to things that no kid should see.
The dangers are real and well-documented. We’re absolutely going to keep our kids safe.
But I’m also a big believer in technology’s incredible potential. I’m also a big doubter of the government’s ability to solve problems with heavy-handed mandates and one-size-fits-all rules.
Taking away people’s choices is a slippery slope
It’s profoundly dangerous to let politicians replace parents as decision-makers. It’s also deeply harmful to push an entire category of technology out of bounds.
Last I checked, politicians have a terrible track record of recognizing what’s helpful or harmful – much less right or wrong.
I admit, this is a countercultural agreement. My sense is that most Americans think you can be pro-family or pro-technology, but definitely not both.
That’s a false choice. If you’re truly pro-family, you should promote each family’s ability to make its own choices, including with technology.
The last resort should be taking freedom away from parents. That’s what Australia is doing with social media: restricting not only children’s freedom but also parents’ freedom.
That’s what American states have done with cell phone bans in schools. You can bet that social media and artificial intelligence bans are coming next.
This is the definition of the nanny-statism that the right used to abhor. Technology, properly monitored, could be beneficial for kids in a huge number of circumstances.
Cell phones and screens, properly managed, can help kids learn in school. In an increasingly technological world, the prudent use of technology will have significant benefits.
Families should be free to decide when the benefits outweigh the risks. They shouldn’t have their freedom stripped away in the name of safety.
There are better ways to combat abuses
Will some families still use too much social media? Of course. Yet instead of restricting freedom to prevent any bad outcome, politicians should do everything in their power to help Americans make the best choices.
The real solution is empowering families through public awareness campaigns. In recent decades, such campaigns have all but solved the crisis of teen smoking.
There’s a similar effort to help parents get the right car seats for their kids, tackling the problem of children dying in car accidents. That’s a better solution than banning infants from being in cars.
My home state of Utah already has a public awareness campaign to help parents recognize the dangers of social media. Now is the time to double down on that effort.
Instead, political leaders on the right and the left are saying that America should follow Australia’s lead, and pro-family voices across the country are echoing them.
Passing bans just puts government, not parents, in the driver’s seat. Surely, it would be better to give parents more resources and support to keep their kids on the straight and narrow.